FITNESS TRIBUNE No 1 English

Commentary

Beautiful new fitness world OR «THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM UNDER PRESSURE?»

Anyone who may have looked through the fitness fairs this year and kept their eyes open could hardly have missed the fact that “interactive workouts” have once again returned to the news. IHRSA, FIBO or FITNESS FESTI VAL - the manufacturers are all try ing their best to combine workout with computer game. After so many unsuc cessful attempts in the past to network human beings, exercise machines and computers - many disappeared from the screens faster than it took to install them - the industry is now hopeful again that, thanks to increasingly realistic graphics, these animation machines will experi ence a renaissance. Those who have not yet experienced the Cardiodisco from Exertris, either live or on the promotional video, may find it difficult to imagine. So here is an attempt to explain: The cardio-bikes are situated in a blacked-out room, at a gym for example, disco-sound reverberates, flashes emanate from the strobes and, depending upon the particular set-up, the computer game appears on an LCD screen in front of each individual rider or on the large screen in front of all. These are specially designed bikes and the computer games are especially dedi cated to them. The speed and dynamics of the game are directly related to the speed and resistance required for the cardio-training itself. If you observe the players it quickly becomes clear that their minds are mainly on the game with the result that their cycling movements are rather jerky. It’s quite obvious; even the modern body of a twenty-something is not capable of coping with a hectic computer game and producing smooth, harmonised movements at the same time. The situation is similar when Ree bok with its CyberRider or Technogym with the Sony-PlayStation2-Integration go hunting for customers at shows. It appears that the higher the fun-factor, the more motor activity suffers. In addition it seems that with such an overstimulation of the senses it is impossible to both concentrate fully on training and to really shut down so that

the autonomic nervous system comes to rest. These are well known factors that appear right at the top of the list of reasons why people go to gyms. Johnny G., the inventor of indoor cycling recog nised in the 1980’s already, that all the “bells and whistles”, those little lights and computer screens, do more harm than good and his bike concept (includ ing all of the good and bad copies) has proven itself millions of times over around the world. If we didn’t already know before the American Internet cardio-bike flop that human beings don’t want to and can not spend the whole day in front of a computer screen, then we do now. The fact that these playthings actually cost a small fortune should come as a surprise to no one. On the whole quite clear-cut, one would think. Just another of the industry’s “bright ideas” which nobody really needs and which will be forgotten before long anyway. There is however praise from some quarters for these new cardio-games. The British women’s magazine ZEST has labelled the new machines as vision ary and so has Bill Gates, founder and CEO of Microsoft, who even mentioned the product (Exertris) in a keynote speech. The sale of these machines is also being pushed by the industry of course, especially when it involves pro viding alternatives and opening up new markets. New target group The “next generation” - those now in their mid-twenties - has grown up in a world of TV zapping, computer games and the Internet, a world that many older people don’t really understand. Sadly, this generation is hardly capable of reading a book or enjoying normal freetime activities like going for a walk or cycling etc. They live in a fast-mov ing world with constant overstimulation of the senses. As soon as one stimulus is past then they’re already looking for the next. Sport seems to be almost unim portant these days. It rather appears that

the trademark of the new generation will be overweight and lack of movement. The new cardio-discos could however provide a way to reach this new poten tial market group. Mens sana in corpore sano (A healthy mind in a healthy body) If you believe the statisticians, then it seems that everything will be better in future for the “next generation” com pared to their lives to-date with their lack of movement and poor nutrition. It’s possible that training on these games machines can alleviate some symptoms even if they in no way improve motor activity. Or the machines could function as a sort of bait to lure the new potential customer base into the gyms. But be careful not to affect the well-being of your existing members. All new things have their attraction and the hunt for new members can easily go wrong. A cardio-disco hardly goes hand-in-hand with a well thought-out comprehensive fitnessclub concept. It is more likely to torpedo the fitness and wellness idea instead. Maybe the answer is to develop separate “game catacombs” for the new generation, set aside from the main stream health club and blessed with the hope that they will do more good than harm after all. Maybe the newcomers will then realise for themselves that the real benefits of training, including relaxation and improved aerobic capac ity, can only be 100% achieved if they fully concentrate on their training…. A chance for the adventurous Anyone who dares to focus all his efforts on this target group may well find that he is one of the few who, for a few years, enjoys spectacular growth in an indus try that is at best growing slowly. From the beginning though, the main thing is to know the right time to get out again, because the only constant in this target group is change. And the next short lived trend is definitely on the way. 

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Fitness Tribune International 1